This poem honors the marvelous novel by the early 15th century Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes.The full title of his work commonly referred to as “Don Quixote”, is “The Ingenious Hidalgo Don Quixote of La Mancha”, or in Spanish “El ingenioso hidalgo don Quijote de la Mancha", which has been called the most influential work of all of Spanish literature.The story is about a delusional (or so it may seem) old Spaniard that decides to wander the countryside as an errant knight with his faithful servant Sancho Panza.Seeing evil and monsters in everything (e.g., windmills are mistaken for giants in one episode), Quixote refuses to be rational, insisting on the importance of his holy quest to fight evil.Cervantes’ novel has inspired countless people and in 1972 was made into a popular Broadway musical, “Man of La Mancha”.One of the songs from that musical, “The Impossible Dream” became very popular and encapsulates Quixote perfectly:

The Impossible Dream

from MAN OF LA MANCHA (1972)

music by Mitch Leigh and lyrics by Joe Darion

To dream the impossible dream

To fight the unbeatable foe

To bear with unbearable sorrow

To run where the brave dare not go

To right the unrightable wrong

To love pure and chaste from afar

To try when your arms are too weary

To reach the unreachable star

This is my quest

To follow that star

No matter how hopeless

No matter how far

To fight for the right

Without question or pause

To be willing to march into Hell

For a heavenly cause

And I know if I'll only be true

To this glorious quest

That my heart will lie peaceful and calm

When I'm laid to my rest

And the world will be better for this

That one man, scorned and covered with scars

Still strove with his last ounce of courage

To reach the unreachable star

[1]Cide Hamete Benengeli is the fictional Moorish chronicler of Quixote’s deeds created by Cervantes.So it is only appropriate that he should provide the dedication to this poem.

[2]Rocinante is Quixote’s horse.In Spanish, “Rocin” means a low quality horse, whereas “ante” means before.So the horse’s name literally means it was a low quality horse before, i.e., before Quixote’s noble quest.But “Rocin” can also be applied to men, suggesting that the entire party, horse, Quixote, and Sancho, were all low quality before their quest.

[3]A reference to the full title of Cervantes’ work and the indication by Cervantes that there is more to Quixote and his quest than meets the eye.

[4]Dulcinea (Dulcinea of El Toboso) is Quixote’s imagined love.In actuality her real name is Aldonza Lorenzo, a common farm girl.Just as with the name of Quixote’s horse, Cervantes played with language in naming Dulcinea.According to Wikipedia, in the Spanish of the time, Dulcinea means overly elegant sweetness, i.e., this is an allusion to an illusionary princess.

My Review

Featured Review

A poem with end-notes! Marvelous! Of course, the notes only enrich and enhance the text. They would have to be included in any publication of this work, not only because of their informative nature, but also because they create a whole new form of poem. I don't know if that was your intention, but it was certainly interesting. As for the impossible dreams of Quixote, his dedication to the ideal, in the face of mere wordly acceptance, serves as a beacon of hope in every dreamer. Through his struggle, we know to never let slip the impossible, even though our hands become weary and ragged, and age claims its toll on our mortal flesh. Like the Man of La Mancha, we do not let go because we are compelled to dream.

Posted 1 Year Ago

1 of 1 people found this review constructive.

A poem with end-notes! Marvelous! Of course, the notes only enrich and enhance the text. They would have to be included in any publication of this work, not only because of their informative nature, but also because they create a whole new form of poem. I don't know if that was your intention, but it was certainly interesting. As for the impossible dreams of Quixote, his dedication to the ideal, in the face of mere wordly acceptance, serves as a beacon of hope in every dreamer. Through his struggle, we know to never let slip the impossible, even though our hands become weary and ragged, and age claims its toll on our mortal flesh. Like the Man of La Mancha, we do not let go because we are compelled to dream.

Posted 4 Years Ago

1 of 1 people found this review constructive.

Posted 4 Years Ago

1 of 1 people found this review constructive.

Another masterpiece, my friend! I haven't thought of Don Quixote for many years but you have awakened a hunger to re-read the book. In this amazing poem, you have managed to bring the character to life, depicting his bravery and strength of spirit which spur him on to continue his quest, despite his aging and weakening body. Regardless of whether he was delusional or not, his love and foes were real to him.

This poem is another fine example of your skill and ability to get inside a character's head to emphasize the thoughts and emotions that drive him to do what he does. Great job!

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So what's the most important thing to say about myself? I guess the overarching aspect of my personality is that I am a scientist, an astrophysicist to be precise. Not that I am touting science.. more..